iPhone 8 to Feature All-Glass Casing in Order to Support Wireless Charging

Apple will switch to an all-glass casing for next year's entire iPhone lineup in order to support wireless charging, with Pegatron being the exclusive supplier of the wireless charger. That's according to the latest research note by KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo obtained by MacRumors.

According to Kuo, the transition from metal to glass casing is key if Apple is to introduce a wireless charging feature in the 2017 iPhone. While patented engineering solutions do exist for wirelessly charging devices with metal cases, issues with wireless frequency tolerances for metal alloys can limit the speed at which charging takes place. On top of that, it is widely believed that Jony Ive has wanted to introduce an iPhone that looks like a single sheet of glass for several years.

We believe one of the reasons why new iPhones will switch from metal casing to glass casing is to support wireless charging. In order to ensure a superior performance, we believe it is most appropriate for EMS suppliers to develop and make the wireless charger because then a comprehensive test can be conducted. As Hon Hai needs to deploy most resources to develop and produce OLED iPhone, we expect Pegatron will be the exclusive supplier of the wireless charger.

Kuo remains uncertain whether a wireless charger will be bundled with all new iPhones, but expects at least some models to be next year, with wider availability by 2018.

Reports that Apple was exploring extended range wireless charging for the 2017 iPhone also appeared back in January. Extended wireless charging is considered superior to existing wireless solutions because it does not require the device to be as close to a charging mat or source.

Apple's 10th anniversary iPhone, which is expected to feature a major redesign with a glass body and edge-to-edge OLED display that integrates a Touch ID sensor and front-facing camera, is expected to arrive in September 2017.

People have money, people spend money as they want.
If you're not a communist, don't complain about it.
If you are a communist, criticizing a single person on a forum mostly about unnecessary gadgets is a stupid way to start a revolution.

How do you use the iPhone while charging having this wireless charge? The mat (or whatever surface) has to be plugged somewhere.

It looks like another gimmicky tech like those $300 toothbrush with bluetooth.

It is a bit gimmicky at the moment, but has its benefits - for example, some cars come with a wireless charging pad built in so all you do when you get in the car is put the phone down in the tray that contains the charging pad and it charges and connects via Bluetooth to your in car system

It also reduces the wear on the charging port as you can charge it when you're not using it by just placing it on the pad (you can always charge with a cable if you need to charge and use the phone at the same time)

For me, wireless charging isn't a must have but would definitely be a nice to have :)

The point of wireless charging is completely lost on me. Is it that difficult to plug this thing in?? Lightning even made it so it doesn't matter which way the plug goes. Are we so incompetent or lazy that a charging mat (which has to be plugged in) is superior to plugging in a phone once a day??

You want the security of a physical plug. In a vehicle, unless you drive on level glass and never turn, you'd be forced to buy a holder. Overnight suppose you or a pet bumped your phone off the charging mat.

And how do you use it while charging? Gotta move both the charging surface and the phone. And to make a call while charging?? Lol.

Can we please leave inductive charging for our toothbrushes and stop the total war on plugs? Some plugs are just fine, and in fact better. This headlong, because-we-can, because-it-seems-cool charge into wireless land is absurd.

And while I'm ranting, please leave me a bezel. Please? Look at that photo again. See the way they have to hold that thing to see the whole screen? No thanks. Especially if it's all glass, no matter how many gorillas it's made out of.

MacRumors attracts a broad audience
of both consumers and professionals interested in
the latest technologies and products. We also boast an active community focused on
purchasing decisions and technical aspects of the iPhone, iPod, iPad, and Mac platforms.